ColdFusion 11 integrates accessibility from the ground up for rapid application development. Developers will find that meeting the requirements in accessibility standards such as Section 508 and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) can be accomplished without sacrificing features for functionality in their web applications.

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Overview

Accessible web applications

Accessible web applications rely on two key premises: control for the developer and flexibility for the end user. ColdFusion 11 provides developers with the tools to automate content contribution and delivery while maintaining the highest standards for accessibility. At the same time, accessible web applications built into ColdFusion 11 can provide users with options that enable them to adapt the site to meet their needs. With unparalleled support for web standards such as XML and XForms, ColdFusion 11 provides a set of tools to create highly customizable and flexible interfaces.

Improved text searching

One of the most important challenges for users with disabilities is readily locating the content that they need. With enhancements to the Verity full-text search engine now included in ColdFusion 11, sites are easier to search and navigate. Among many new, powerful features are hierarchical category searching, spelling correction suggestions, highlighted search results, and improved search result data.

Server administration

ColdFusion 11 includes the ColdFusion Administrator, an accessible console for setting up, maintaining, and administering the dynamic application. ColdFusion administrators who are blind, visually impaired, keyboard-only users, or have other disabilities can use this administrator application with ease.

Rich forms and controls

For many ColdFusion developers, creating HTML forms is one of the most time-consuming and difficult parts of their job. ColdFusion 11 allows developers to create accessible, high-quality forms in minutes using the new rich Adobe Flash® and XML forms capabilities.

Using familiar CFML tags, developers can easily create complex, multistep forms with tabbed or accordion interfaces. Applications can use Flash controls that are unavailable in regular HTML, such as data grids, tree controls, and calendar date pickers. Forms will look good and be intuitive for all end users without requiring developers to spend extra effort coding presentation/tier information. Best of all, forms are easily deployed in an accessible format to help ensure that all users get the same experience, regardless of disability.